Share and Follow
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) – The Republican presidential field started with a handful of candidates. After the Iowa caucuses, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the race leaving two candidates vying to be the party’s nominee: former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
On Tuesday, New Hampshire voters took to the polls to cast their ballots, resulting in Trump being the projected winner in the Granite State. All this just weeks before voters in Illinois get a say in who they want to represent their party for president.
UIS professor emeritus Kent Redfield said the winnowing of the presidential field could impact whether Illinois voters decide to cast a ballot.
“[If] you’re in a legislative district without any contest, you’re in a congressional district that’s solidly Democrat or Republican incumbent running, and then there are no statewide elections, then the incentive to say on a cold, rainy day in the middle of March to get up and go to the polls might not be that great,” Redfield said.
But there’s more on the ballot than picking who will represent Democrats or Republicans as president.
“People are smart enough to realize that, ‘Hey, [on the] presidential level, we may not have much to say, but we do have an effect on who we elect at the local level, because that affects us the most,” Brad Carlson, a Republican precinct committeeman, said.
Voters will be picking candidates for their parties in a host of other races from congressional, state and local races, including competitive ones.
“The fact that there’s the advertisements, the rallies, the things or political activity is taking place, county organizations, it gives them an additional thing to focus on and so, it gets people to the polls,” Redfield said.
Candidates like State Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur) said those kinds of races are critical.
“The closer the election is to home, the more connection the people have with their elected official,” Scherer said. “And because of that, that makes it even more important, I think, because … at my level, the votes that I take directly affect the people who live in my district.”
Scherer said that includes votes on a number of issues from funding for schools, to money to repair roads and grants for small businesses.
Carlson said voters can feel the most direct impact of the decisions those office holders make.
“The local races are the closest to the people,” Carlson said. “This is where you can have an impact on your local property taxes, local zoning issues, you can have an effect on your park board, your school board, your mayor’s race, and local issues.”
Early voting in Illinois begins Feb. 8 and the primary election is on March 19.
